Bits 'n' Pieces
by Miss SheDevil
Summary: This is not an actual story—just a collection of different scenes from The Twilight Saga, in any character's perspective. Events are not written chronologically. Requests for any scene in particular are welcome.
1. Twilight: Port Angeles — Edward

**Disclaimer: **Owning copies of the books does _not_ give me full rights to the series. Twilight belongs to Stephanie Meyer.

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**Author's Note: **Since this entry isn't exactly a story, it was always remain complete, though I will update whenever I get an idea for a scene. If, however, at any time, I choose to discontinue adding chapters to this, I _will _inform you, so that you aren't left hanging. Please note that not all the chapters uploaded will be scenes derived from the series; I may add certain scenes before and after the books so those events will clearly be my own ideas.

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This scene takes place in _Twilight_, during the chapter **Port Angeles**.

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**Edward's Point Of View**

"I'm taking you to dinner." I smiled tightly—it came out as more of a wince—and the anger was still evident in my eyes.

Without waiting for Bella's response, I hopped out of the car, slamming the door with more force than really necessary. The fury had not vanished completely—I wondered if it would vanish at all—and now that I was free from the confinement of my car, the urge to run back to the alley and rip those bastards' heads off was more pressing than ever.

I would have done it, had it not been for Bella stepping out of the car to stand beside me. She looked at me expectantly and I gazed into her eyes, the one window to her thoughts.

_I wonder where Bella is . . . I do hope she's alright . . . _Angela's anxious stream of thoughts invaded my mind as she and Jessica walked farther and farther away from us, not realizing that my car was parked and that we were standing just a few feet behind them.

Unsurprisingly, Jessica's thoughts were highly contradicting to Angela's and, not for the first time, I wondered what a selfless and kind girl such as Bella would ever see in Jessica, an arrogant and impolite brat—unworthy of Bella's friendship. While Angela was worried about her friend's safety, Jessica was more anxious about what talk would spread about her through town if the Chief's daughter wasn't found after an evening of shopping.

"Go stop Jessica and Angela before I have to track them down, too. I don't think I could restrain myself if I ran into your other friends again." I muttered, my voice low and dangerous.

Bella shuddered once, probably at my expression before turning to gain her friends' attentions. Immediately, they whirled around and sighed in relief when they saw Bella waving at them eagerly. They hurried to her but stopped dead in their tracks when they caught sight of me standing a few feet behind.

I composed my face into a friendly and calm expression, sticking my hands in my pockets and casually joining the circle.

"Where have you been?"

Though Jessica's question was obviously directed at Bella, she kept glancing at me, clearly chagrined. _I can't believe this! Edward Cullen, out of all people! That lucky bitch_—_first, she's got all those admirers in school . . . now this! He never even used to be _interested _in dating. What _exactly _does he see in her? I can't believe it; she hasn't even been in this school for a year and she's already so freaking popular! Mingling with the Cullens, I swear . . . _

Disgusted, I switched to listening to Angela's thoughts, pleased that her worry for her friend seemed to be the only priority on her mind, though she definitely was curious about my presence in Port Angeles.

"I got lost." Bella smiled timidly, her face darkening. I gulped in quick refills of air, relieved that we weren't restricted to our Biology classroom, filled with innocent classmates. Being outside in fresh air helped with dealing with Bella's tantalizing scent. "And then I ran into Edward."

_Right, like I'm going to believe that!_ Jessica fumed inwardly, keeping her expression innocent and kind. _They _obviously _planned to meet up here. The Cullens _never _talk to anybody, much less go out. Wonder what is about her that has him eating out her palm _—

"Would it be all right if I joined you?" I cut her off, glancing innocently between the girls.

Jessica's mind became all . . . _mushy_ and I immediately pulled away from listening to her thoughts. Though this reaction from females wasn't anything new, it felt more wrong than ever, especially Bella was right here next to me.

"Er . . . sure."

Angela seemed to break off from a similar stupor to Jessica's and glanced at Bella guiltily. "Um, actually, Bella, we already ate while we were waiting—sorry."

"That's fine—I'm not hungry." Bella seemed unconcerned as she waved this off.

_I_, however, wasn't going to let that deter me. Not only did she need a refreshing doze of _humanness _for the evening, but I also selfishly craved her company . . . _alone_.

"I think you should eat something." I announced, begging Bella silently that she wouldn't argue in front of her friends. "Do you mind if I drive Bella home tonight? That way you won't have to wait while she eats."

"Uh, no problem, I guess . . ." Jessica stammered, her eyes darting between Bella and I.

It seemed however that Bella _did_ want an evening with me for she deftly lowered an eye in a wink in Jessica's direction. Suppressing an amused smile, I waited for her friends to finally leave us alone. Bella waved at them as they got into their car and drove away. Jessica's thoughts were bitter and overflowing with jealousy but Angela was excited and genuinely happy for her friend.

"Honestly, I'm not hungry." Bella said stubbornly; she was obviously in shock which was why she was acting so blank. What normal human being would remain calm after an incident such as the one she experienced merely minutes ago?

"Humor me" was all I said as I led her to the front door of the restaurant and with a defeated sigh, she stepped through.

The restaurant didn't seem full and the low buzz of thoughts was pleasant to my inner hearing. Mostly, the tables were filled with middle–aged or elderly couples and apart from the cling–clang of the dishes and utensils, most was quiet.

_Holy crap_!_ Holy _crap! _HOLY CRAP_! _Goodness, he _must _be a model._

The hostess's mind seemed to be yelling at me and for the umpteenth time, I wished for the ability to read minds at will. I was only interested in the hearing the thoughts of _one_ particular human. On the outside, the hostess remained unruffled but her thoughts were unsurprisingly incoherent.

"A table for two?" I inquired, raising my eyebrows when the hostess failed to do the proper welcoming.

The hostess swooned, flipping her blonde hair over her shoulder as she led us to a table in the center of the restaurant, right in the middle of the tables. I frowned internally; what Bella and I needed was privacy, especially since we were going to be discussing certain things that was not normally included in a normal conversation.

Bella seemed to have no qualms about this seating arrangement but at the look on my face, she hesitated. I slipped out my wallet and picked out a random note, handing it to the hostess. "Perhaps something more private?" I requested smoothly.

Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Bella's eyebrows rise in wonder but the hostess wasn't as composed. _More private? It's obvious that they can't be _together_ . . . they're clearly just friends . . . even if they _were_ dating, shouldn't they be holding hands? But why else would he ask for another table?_

"Sure." She replied, flustered, but led us around to a small booth, peeking at the dollar in her hand, almost tripping in surprise. _Handsome _and _rich! This is great . . . I wonder if I can slip him my number, since _she's_ obviously not his girlfriend. _"How's this?" She asked, gesturing to the small table. It was a safe distance from prying eyes and ears.

"Perfect." I grinned at her, pulling out Bella's chair for her to sit.

"Um . . . your server will be right out." She wobbled her way back to the kitchen, sighing dreamily. _What an amazing smile he has . . . and that voice! Oh . . ._

Bella frowned at me as I took the seat opposite to her. "You really shouldn't do that to people. It's hardly fair."

My brows furrowed, perplexed at the scolding tone in her voice and her words. What on earth was she talking about? "Do what?"

"Dazzle them like that." She replied, a hint of uncertainty in her tone. "She's probably hyperventilating in the kitchen right now." At my bewildered expression, she let out an exasperated sigh. "Oh, come on. You _have _to know the effect you have on people."

"I dazzle people?"

She stared at me and I didn't need Jasper's gift or even the ability to read her mind to know that she was suspicious. "You haven't noticed? Do you think everyone gets their way so easily?"

"Do I dazzle _you_?"

The words slipped out before I could quite call them back but I _was_ insanely curious to know. Her face turned a delicate shade of pink as she nodded shyly. "Frequently."

Before I had time to marvel over that fact that _I_ dazzled _Bella_, that she reacted similarly to other females, our waitress appeared at our side, smiling brightly at me, her thoughts . . . appreciative.

"Hello. My name is Amber, and I'll be your server tonight. What can I get you to drink?"

I glanced at Bella, gesturing for her to go first but was surprised to find a hint of annoyance in her eyes. "I'll have a coke."

"Two Cokes." I affirmed, my eyes darting to the waitress' and back to the girl in front of me.

"I'll be right back with that." She left, slightly bothered when I didn't acknowledge her any further, but her thoughts were extremely revolting. _Hmm, he definitely is better looking up front. But they couldn't be dating . . . she's obviously much too dull for that. They have to be just friends . . . he didn't even look at me . . . next time_.

I blocked out her thoughts, focusing on Bella in front of me, who looked quite confused about something. I was about to ask her what she was thinking but she beat me to it.

"What?"

"How are you feeling?" It was safest question to start with and I needed to know whether she was past her shock–mode.

"I'm fine." She murmured, looking quite bashful under my scrutiny.

"You don't feel dizzy, sick, cold . . . ?" I trailed off, wondering why she wasn't appearing like she was in shock. It was as if the previous occurrences of the evening hadn't even happened.

"Should I?" She asked confused, looking quite adorable.

I snorted softly. She was the most surprising person I'd ever met. After being almost harassed by drunken men in an alley, she still believed that she was fine. "Well, I'm actually waiting for you to go into shock."

"I don't think that will happen. I've always been very good at repressing unpleasant things." She replied.

"Just the same, I'll feel better when you have some sugar and food in you."

Almost as if the waitress had been listening to our conversation, she arrived with the Cokes and some other human food in a basket. Her thoughts were still slightly irritated that my attention was still focused on Bella and she asked for our order.

"Um . . . I'll have the mushroom ravioli." Bella smiled, closing her menu.

The waitress was nothing but eager to turn her attention back to me. _Gosh, he is _so_ hot! But I still don't understand what's so interesting about her to him._

I wished I could reply "everything" but that would seem odd if I responded to her silent question.

"And you?"

"Nothing for me." I stated, without so much as a glance in her direction and after assuring me that I could call her in case I changed my mind, she left, more put out than ever. "Drink."

Bella sipped at her glass quickly then seemed surprised when she noticed it empty so soon. Smiling, I pushed my glass towards her. She didn't seem to have as much sugar in her than required. Besides, it wasn't as if I'd be drinking the coke anyway.

"Are you cold?" I asked anxiously when she shivered delicately. She wasn't wearing a jacket and the ivory skin of her bare arms would have distracted me, had I not been worried for her health.

"It's just the Coke." She assured me, sounded unconcerned about herself.

"Don't you have a jacket?" I chided gently. We were in Forks for heaven's sake where it rained all the time and it was already nighttime, not to mention that it was the winter season now.

"Yes. Oh—I must have left it in Jessica's car." She admitted, glancing around her sheepishly.

Thrilled to have an excuse to see in my jacket, I shrugged mine off, handing it to her. She seemed dazed for a moment before she accepted it with a shy smile. "Thanks."

Now that I was satisfied that she was warm, at least warmer than before, I openly stared at her. I hid my ogling as best as I could but I couldn't fight the delighted smile at seeing her in _my_ clothes, under whatever circumstances . . . not to mention the dark blue color of her blouse contrasted her pale skin perfectly. Above the collar of her shirt, the pearly and frail skin of her neck and throat seemed so inviting . . .

"That color blue looks lovely with your skin." I murmured in appreciation, my eyes darting between her face and her neck.

She glanced down at herself in surprise, her cheeks already coloring beautifully. When she didn't reply, I worried whether I'd offended her somehow or made her uncomfortable. To change the subject, I nudged the breadbasket in her direction, prompting her to eat it.

"Really, I'm not going into shock." She insisted with a roll of her eyes.

"You should be—a _normal_ person would be." I observed her closely. "You don't even look shaken."

"I feel very safe with you." She admitted, staring at the table.

Either there was something wrong with her, or with me. Normally humans drew _away_ from us, their instincts told them we were dangerous . . . which we were. Bella's instincts seemed to be in reverse . . . or she didn't _have_ any instincts. Or maybe Emmett was right; I just wasn't as dangerous as I was supposed to be. God, Emmett was never going to let me live this down. I'd be the laughing stock for the rest of eternity.

"This is more complicated than I planned." I muttered under my breath, groaning inwardly.

Bella stared at me, unblinking. Seeming unaware of her actions, she grabbed a bread stick and chewed thoughtfully. "Usually you're in a better mood when your eyes are so light." She remarked, out of the blue.

"What?" I exclaimed, dumbfounded.

"You're always crabbier when your eyes are black—I expect it then." She explained, seeming amused by my stunned expression. "I have a theory about that."

My eyes tightened and my facial expression hardened. How close to the truth was she now? "More theories?"

She hummed in assertion, looking irrationally cool and casual for this conversation.

"I hope you were more creative this time." I grinned faintly, not too amused by the situation. She _needed_ be wrong with her theories. Now, of course, she didn't know what my family and I were, but once she did, she'd be sorry she'd ever befriended me. "Or are you still stealing from comic books?"

She flushed slightly but I was too occupied on our conversation to be distracted by the sight of her reddened cheeks. "Well, no, I didn't get it from a comic book. But I didn't come up with it on my own, either."

"And?" I prodded.

The waitress strolled in casually, set Bella's plate in front of her before turning her attention to me, hoping I'd rethought about my dinner. After a polite decline, she left with the empty glasses to refill them.

"You were saying?" I asked, trying to keep the annoyance out of my tone. Oh, how I wished to get the conversation done and over with. I needed to know how far or how close Bella was to the truth. She obviously didn't know the truth, for she couldn't be sitting here so calmly, merely inches away from a _vampire_, but like she'd mentioned that other day in the cafeteria, she believed I was dangerous, not bad.

"I'll tell you about it in the car." She hedged. "If . . . "

"There are conditions?" The words were nothing but a growl, though she didn't flinch back. Yes, there was definitely something wrong with her.

"I do have a few questions, of course." She answered as if it were the most natural thing in the world to be interviewing a monster about the nature, information and theories about the monster himself.

"Of course." I snapped.

The waitress came back with our glasses, placed them on the table and left without a word though her mind was undoubtedly frustrated; I didn't bother to check.

"Well, go ahead." I said impatiently, gesturing for her to start with questions already.

"Why are you in Port Angeles?"

I lifted my chin in the air defensively. "Next."

"But that's the easiest one." She exclaimed in disbelief. Of course, the question was easy for her, the answers were hard for me.

"Next."

She scowled at me, obviously annoyed and I waited eagerly for her next question. She was quiet for a moment, looking thoughtful, before speaking. "Okay, then." She began. "Let's say, hypothetically of course, that . . . someone . . . could know what people are thinking, read minds, you know—with a few exceptions."

I carefully hid my horror, knowing that she was dead on. She knew that I could read minds . . . goodness, she was so observant for her own good. I wondered what the theories she'd come up with were.

"Just _one_ exception." I amended, scowling. This conversation kept on reminding me about how frustrated I was by the walls blocking her mind. "Hypothetically."

"All right, with one exception, then." She agreed. "How does that work? What are the limitations? How would . . . that someone . . . find someone else at exactly the right time? How would he know if she was in trouble?"

The questions seemed to be never ending and the bright curiosity was clear in her eyes.

"Hypothetically?" I raised an eyebrow.

She fought a smile. "Sure."

"Well, if . . . that someone . . . " I began but Bella interrupted me.

"Let's call him, 'Joe'." She proposed.

It was my turn to fight an amused smile. "Joe, then." I agreed. "If Joe had been paying attention, the timing wouldn't have needed to be quite so exact. Only _you_ could get into trouble in a town this small. You would have devastated their crime rate statistics for a decade, you know."

"We were speaking of a hypothetical case." She warned me harshly and I couldn't quite call back the peal of laughter from my mouth.

"Yes, we were." I chuckled softly. "Shall we call you 'Jane'?"

She leaned forward, eyes burning into mine. "How did you know?" At my wavering silence and hesitation, she lifted her hand as if to place them on mine but I jerked my arm away. She didn't need to touch my cold skin and become revolted by it again. Trying to conceal her disappointment, she added, "You can trust me, you know."

Of course I could trust her. I could trust her to keep my secret from everyone; she'd proven to be trustworthy during the one month of our separation. She hadn't expressed her views about my odd nature and the strange behavior of saving her from the van. I knew that she was reliable, but I couldn't rely on her to be calm and cool once she found out _who_—or rather, _what_—I was. As soon as the truth was out, she would run away . . . from me. I didn't want her to.

"I don't know if I have a choice anymore." I mumbled, not sure whether she could even hear my words or not. "I was wrong—you're much more observant than I gave you credit for."

Apparently, she'd heard me, crystal clear. To my surprise, she seemed to smirking. "I thought you were always right."

"I used to be." I muttered miserably. "I was wrong about you on one other thing, as well. You're not a magnet for accidents—that's not a broad enough classification. You are a magnet for _trouble_. If there is anything dangerous within a ten–mile radius, it will invariably find you."

"And you put yourself into that category?"

My face turned into stone, no pun intended. "Unequivocally."

I watched as her hands reached across the table once more, and before I could do anything, her hand covered my mine. I tensed, waiting for her to yank her hand back at the freezing temperature and was pleasantly surprised when she continued to brush her soft fingertips against my hand, the feeling exquisite . . . beyond words.

"Thank you." She whispered shyly, eyes lifting up to meet mine. "That's twice now."

I smiled at her softly. "Let's not try for three, agreed?" I teased, pulling my hands away gently hoping not to offend her or startle her.

Now, confession time.

"I followed you to Port Angeles." Once the words were out, I could stop them from overflowing. "I've never tried to keep a specific person alive before, and it's much more troublesome than I would have believed. But that's probably just because it's you. Ordinary people seem to make it through the day without so many catastrophes."

I paused with baited breath, expecting her to go into shock _now_, at least. I couldn't expect her reaction but since I'd all but admitted to pursuing her, she _needed_ to be horrified.

I watched incredulously as her pink lips curved upwards and there was a certain light in her eyes.

I'd all but confessed to stalking her and the silly girl looking _happy_ about it?

Un–freaking–believable.

"Did you ever think that maybe my number was up the first time, with the van, and that you've been interfering with fate?" She questioned suddenly, probably trying to distract me from the quizzical and disbelieving expression on my face.

"That wasn't the first time." I disagreed. "Your number was up the first time I met you. You remember?"

I flinched at the memory of our first 'meeting' in the Biology classroom, where I'd practically cut off all my senses to keep from leaping at her jugular.

"Yes."

"And yet here you sit."

She nodded slowly. "Yes, here I sit . . . because of you. Because somehow you knew how to find me today . . ."

I glowered at her. How on earth was she so _collected_ about this? I'd practically _confessed_ that I could read minds, I was superhuman—saving her from all sorts of dangerous accidents including myself, I'd tracked her down to a completely different town on a normal day of shopping with her friends . . .

I couldn't believe she was still sitting firmly in her seat, unflinching and unwavering as she discussed the open nature of my mind reading. God, she was . . . _incredible_.

For the past few minutes of talking, I'd realized that she'd hadn't take any more bites of her food. "You eat, I'll talk." Satisfied that she had a bit more nutrition in her, I began my story. "It's harder than it should be—keeping track of you. Usually I can find someone very easily, once I've heard their mind before."

She stared at me, still as a statue. I frowned at her worriedly but she quickly scooped up another bite of her pasta.

"I was keeping tabs on Jessica, not carefully—like I said, only you could find trouble in Port Angeles—and at first I didn't notice when you took off on your own. Then, when I realized that you weren't with her anymore, I went looking for you at the bookstore I saw in her head. I could tell that you hadn't gone in, and that you'd gone south . . . and I knew you would have to turn around soon. So I was just waiting for you, randomly searching through the thoughts of people on the street—to see if anyone had noticed you so I would know where you were. I had no reason to be worried . . . but I was strangely anxious . . . "

My mind wandered back to those fearful and panicked moments when I'd hadn't seen Bella's face in anyone's thoughts.

"I started to drive in circles, still . . . listening." The words seemed to be pouring out of my mouth in a monotonous tone. I was barely aware of where I was right now, my thoughts kept drifting back to that horrid memory. "The sun was finally setting, and I was about to get out and follow you on foot. And then—"

My mouth froze as I thought back, fury flooding through myself, as a snarl almost erupted from my lips.

"Then what?" Bella's quiet and hesitant voice snapped me back to the present but not out of my fuming.

"I heard what they were thinking." Unthinkingly, a growl rumbled deep in my chest and my face twisted up into a sneer. "I saw your face in his mind."

I dropped my head on my hands over the table, unable to allow Bella to look at me any longer. I couldn't imagine how terrified she would be if I proceeded to destroy the entire restaurant in my anger. "It was very . . . hard—you can't imagine how hard—for me to simply take you away, and leave them . . . alive."

Oh, how very much I wanted to rip their heads off their heads, those ungrateful, vile, repulsive miserable and pathetic excuses for men.

"I could have let you go with Jessica and Angela, but I was afraid if you left me alone, I would go looking for them." I confessed quietly to the table, hoping to be as silent as possible.

The memory of hunting similar _men_, snapping their necks and drinking their fresh blood . . . men who preyed on innocent, young girls. Before, I'd only wanted to hunt those bastards in a way of quenching my thirst and punishing them for their crimes, but the men who'd almost raped Bella . . . I wanted to torture them. The impulse to torment them, to put them through immense suffering was almost uncontrollable.

We sat in silence for a few moments, maybe hours, and I kept my attention on Bella's heartbeat and breathing. Both seemed to be under control and calm; counting her labored breaths helped me to cool down, just a bit.

Finally, I lifted my head to stare at her. Her expression was oddly blank, void of any emotion, but not fearful either . . . of _course_ not. "Are you ready to go home?" I whispered, straightening myself in my seat.

"I'm ready to leave." She corrected, making my dead heart warm.

The waitress appeared quite out of nowhere. "How are we doing?" She asked cheerfully.

"We're ready for the check, thank you." I murmured, gazing at Bella's dainty and beautiful face.

The waitress's mood fell. _What? He's leaving so soon? I wonder if I can slip my number . . . _She handed me the leather pocket but I already slipped the money to her, aware that her telephone number had been on the back of the bill. "No change."

"You have a nice evening." She desperately called after me as Bella and I started towards the door.

Bella stayed by my side, seeming to keep close proximity intentionally and I automatically was careful enough to keep a few inches between us. I was getting used to being close to her; my love for her overpowered any urges to drink her blood but I still needed to remain cautious and on alert at all times. In any second, I could drain her dry. Even if I _could_ resist the alluring scent of her delicious blood, I always had to be careful around her; I could easily crush her if I couldn't control my actions and movements.

I opened the door of the Volvo for her, waited till she sat, before closing the door after her. Once inside the car, I breathed in deeply, smiling at Bella's scent filling the car. I desperately hoped that the fragrance of Bella's blood would be less tempting as I didn't want to constantly appear as a threat for her.

That thought made me pause and I narrowed my eyes. So far, she'd discovered that I had the ability to read minds; that didn't mean she was aware of what kind of a creature I was. I needed to know her theories. Adjusting the heater to a more comfortable level for her, I spoke in a hushed tone, glancing at her meaningfully.

"Now, it's your turn."

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**Author's Note: **So, technically this scene in Edward's point of view isn't anything new, because Stephanie Meyer already wrote it in _Midnight Sun_ but I've always wanted to write it in his perspective by myself. Please inform me if I missed out any dialogues or events—I reread it, but there could always be an error.

Thank you for reading and please drop a comment with your _honest_ opinion.


	2. Pre–Twilight — Rosalie

**Disclaimer: **Owning copies of the books does _not_ give me full rights to the series. Twilight belongs to Stephanie Meyer.

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**Author's Note: **Thank you for reading and reviewing.

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This scene takes place before _Twilight_, hence, it's not written in the series.

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**Rosalie's Point Of View**

So much had been taken away from me. Life wasn't fair.

My lips curled over the back of my teeth as I fought to remember—through weak human memories—that fateful night when that vile and sinister _man_, I'd once called my fiancé, had brought this life upon me. If it hadn't been for that villainous bastard, I wouldn't have been condemned to this lifestyle. He'd _literally _stripped me of my honor and left me, all flesh and blood, dying in the streets.

Carlisle had found me shortly afterwards and much against my wishes, had transformed into one of his _kind_.

A vampire.

Of course, the super speed, extra strength, heightened senses, such as enhanced hearing and sight, had come in handy when I'd taken revenge on the lowly piece of scum. As a human girl, I wouldn't have been able to accomplish such a task.

Even though, Royce was long dead now, the consequences of his actions on me were everlasting. For as long as I lived—or rather, _existed_—my suffering would never end.

Honestly, dying would have been hundred times better than this. For the rest of eternity, I'd have the bitter truth—"Rosalie Hale will _never_ grow old and die. She will never become a mother or a grandmother. She will forever be frozen in her cold, stone and hard body"—screaming at me in the face.

The transformation had been undoubtedly unbearable. It had been two years since my transformation and I vaguely remembered my change, for I'd undergone it as a human. The very minor details had been erased completely but I could never get rid of the feeling of intolerable _pain_, for as long as I lived.

I remembered screaming till no end, in between, pleading with Carlisle—who had sat with me for hours, holding my hand and whispering reassurances and sincere apologies (which did little to pacify me)—to just end my suffering and to kill me. Little did I know that he _had_ killed me, though I didn't pass off into the world which lets you exist with dead. I _was_ existing . . . but with the _living_.

When I'd finally woken up, I'd met Carlisle, Esme and their "brother", Edward. In the beginning, I'd been furious with them, demanding to know what right they'd had over my life and how dared they decided to change me into a vampire without my wishes.

Of course, before shouting at them, I'd taken a lot of time to believe that I had become a creature that was claimed to be "mythical". Despite having the odd and unnatural but amplified senses, I'd been in denial that I'd been a vampire. _There is no way. These strange people are playing some practical joke on me_.

Only after catching my appearance in the reflection of a window, had I caught those frightening and terrifying crimson irises—which were my _own—_finally seeing the truth. For the first few days, I'd been grieved over my "death", furious over my ex–bastard–fiancé, agonized over the loss of my family and regretful of the fact that I could never become a mother.

Finally, seeing that there was no way out—given that vampires were indestructible by everything but other vampires—I'd decided to give up on my sorrow and focus on more important things like my appearance.

There was, obviously, _no _doubt that this new life had brought me one thing I have always loved having: beauty. As a human, I'd always been _the_ lady to get extra attention from men, whether intentional or not. My parents had been very proud of me, and loved to show me off. The beautiful and fancy dresses my father used to buy for me had only complimented my hourglass figure. The simple but elegant gowns augmented my curves and it just seemed to get better with becoming a vampire.

Now, of course, my already natural and stunning features were just enhanced. If men had never noticed me in my human life—though that was completely impossible—they would certainly _now_.

My human skin had gotten paler with my transformation, my body, carved into stone, but curves were much more accentuated. My golden hair was shinier, softer and longer than ever. In fact, I was sure I'd gained a bit of height and my chest and stomach were fuller.

In other words, I was flawless.

The red hues in my eyes had died down after about a year, and they turned a rich golden, a trait due to curbing my appetite from drinking blood of animals, not humans.

When Carlisle had offered me a chance to be a part of his family, as his and his mate's "daughter", I hadn't exactly known what to say. Though I still held it against him for ruining my life, I respected him. I trusted his decisions and only hoped that when he'd been making the decision to transform _me_, a good outlook would come soon.

I knew that Carlisle had been hoping that I would become a mate to Edward, the same way Esme was his. Apparently, it had been a while since Edward had been alone and as father figure as well as a friend, Carlisle had only Edward's best interests at heart.

Edward was an odd creature, he was.

He'd been completely repulsed by my addition to the family and sometimes, I'd gotten the vibe that he was disgusted with me. I definitely hadn't known how to react from that—apart from the obvious anger—since I'd never experienced in my life; men had always take more than just one glance at me. I'd let it slide with Carlisle since he was obviously Esme's mate—the love connection between a male and female vampire was a thousand times stronger than that of a normal human "Husband and Wife"—and I'd basically considered him my father, or sometimes, an elder brother.

Edward, on the other hand, had been—and still to this day—completely bored and uninterested by me. I'd at least thought that the man wasn't in love and could supposedly afford a _bit_ of attraction towards females.

I'd only come to one possible and sensible conclusion: Edward was gay.

It would pretty much explain why he hadn't been the slightest fascinated by me. Of course, I didn't worry. If he couldn't think _I_ was attractive, then it would only mean that there wasn't a _single_ being born on this earth who could hold his attention.

In the beginning, it had irritated me to no end that he could hear every single thought I had, without even wanting to. I mean, the saying, "Personal Space" had been taken to a whole new meaning. Nothing could be kept in private when he was around . . . which wasn't very often, though.

I rolled my eyes as I thought of my obnoxious brother. Nobody knew where he went; Carlisle was too polite to ask, Esme worried for her son, but didn't ask out of respect and I simply didn't care. He was very boring to be around and I simply did not want to spend time with a loner. He'd leave at random times and come back at random.

What pissed me off the most about him was his blatant attitude towards me. Apart from the surprising fact that he wasn't infatuated with me like the rest of the male population I'd come across, his smirks and unaffected behavior irked whenever I was in the room.

It was high time he learned to accept me as a part of the family and treat me like one.

I could hear sudden footsteps from outside and though they were extremely light, my hearing picked up on them instantly. Edward sprang through the door two seconds later.

He smirked at me. "Thinking about yourself, again, Rosalie?" Without a pause, he continued, "Of course you are."

I sneered at him; it was my way of welcoming him home. "Funny, Edward."

He grinned to himself as he gracefully took a seat in front of the piano. Immediately, classical music floated through the air. I rolled my eyes; I'd never had much time for lullabies, anyway.

"You know," He commented dryly, not looking at me. "I don't even have to be a mind–reader to know that the only thing you think about is yourself. I have a piece of advice for you—get over yourself. You're not that fascinating anyway."

"It's not of your business, Eddie." I snarled at him, narrowing my eyes angrily at him; he always made comments like this and it annoyed me like hell.

The music didn't falter but he clenched jaw once at the nickname—which I knew he despised. He muttered something under his breath that sound like, "self–obsession" and I stalked out of the house, tossing my hair over my shoulder flippantly.

Grumbling under my breath, I decided to go for a hunt. I smiled as I remembered my first hunt; it hadn't gone well at all. My clothes had all been in tatters and blood had been smeared all across my whole body. I'd looked like a wild animal and it had taken four showers to finally convince myself that I was clean.

At first, I'd been adverse to the idea of giving up my unbearable thirst just to keep humans alive but I knew that my noble side won and for the past two years, I've been living off of animal blood, like the rest of my family.

"You don't have a noble side, Rosalie!" Edward called after me, in response to my thoughts and I growled all the offensive words my brain could come up with.

I searched through the forests, which were thankfully, very far from home. The farther away from home the woods were, the more animals were there. Usually, animals tended to shy away, especially since our house was in the middle of nowhere.

I smiled to myself as some sunlight through the parting of the trees shone directly on my arm. Lifting my hand up in front of me, I observed the glitters on my skin. Sparkling because of sunlight was just another one of those vampire traits and it never pleased me more to see myself shining.

I was in awe of myself.

Apparently vampires' skin cells were made of some sort of crystalline substance that caused diamonds to erupt whenever it came in contact with light. It didn't hurt at all and I was glad for it because I liked staring at my glittering skin for a long time.

I heard a twig snapping and my head turned instinctively towards the noise. The next second, the scent of elk wafted across my nose and a second later, I was already pouncing on my prey. It didn't put up much of a struggle as it appeared completely weak in my fierce hold on it. I bit down into the animal's neck as fresh blood trickled down my throat.

After disposing of the animal's dead body, I glanced down at myself, grinning in triumph when I noticed an untouched and unruffled outfit. Ha, I was getting better at feeding.

Just as I was about to take off in a different direction, I heard the loud growls of something that sounded suspiciously like a bear, off in the distance. The sound was low and I couldn't make out everything. Curiously, I zipped through the forest, in and out of trees, following the bears outrageous roars. The closer I got, the scent of the bears blood became even more distinct to me. I'd hunted bears before but their scent didn't particularly appeal to me.

I stopped dead in my tracks, still hidden by the trees, when the most delicious scent passed over me.

Human blood.

_Fresh _and _spilled_ human blood.

Holding my breath, I stepped out from behind and found myself witnessing a bear–human duel. My eyes were instantly drawn towards the boy – or rather, the _man. _He seemed to be in his late teenage years or maybe even in his twenties, but it was hard to tell with his incredibly large frame and built muscles. His shirt was ripped and clawed—most likely the bear had taken a swipe at him. It was amazing how he was still alive but I knew it wouldn't be much long before the bear won the battle.

My eyes did a quick sweep of the forest surrounding, pausing on a rifle that lay bent and broken on the ground. I assumed this man was a hunter. My gaze snapped back to the war when the man grunted and cried out in pain. I don't know how long I stood there, my attention drawn to the dimples on either side of lips. His hair, though it was sticky from being matted with blood, was a dark brown that curled down his forehead and the sides of his face.

A vague, dull memory flashed into my mind, the night of my ending of life. My best friend, Vera holding her baby son, Henry, on her hips. The similarity of that boy's dimples and boyish innocence was so striking to this man's face.

My breathing hitched as the bear took another swipe at his face and without thinking, I leaped forward, pulling the bear of the man effortlessly. The animal turned in shock while the man fell unconscious to floor. I didn't take long with the bear, quickly snapping it's neck. Though, it's blood was spilled, I felt no appeal.

Glancing down at the man, I lifted him easily. Had I not been a vampire, lifting him would have been impossible; he looked extremely heavy. I begged the stranger in my arms not to give up; there was something about him that attracted me to him. I needed Carlisle.

With that thought, I rushed determinedly through the forest and dashed into the house. Edward jumped from the piano bench in shock as I flashed inside, looking like I was in a frenzy.

"Rosalie, what —?"

"Later." I spoke frantically. "Where's Carlisle?"

He didn't say anything, instead staring at the blood–smeared, unconscious man in my arms. Aggravated, I yelled out, "Carlisle!"

A second later, Carlisle was already in front of me, Esme by his side. "Rosalie? What happened? I smell blood —"

His gaze dropped down as he stared the stranger.

After years of being around humans and getting used to their blood, it never tempted him. If I could trust anyone with this man, it was Carlisle.

"I was out hunting. There was a bear. It was attacking him. I killed the bear. He's unconscious. I couldn't leave him out there to die. Save him, Carlisle. You're a doctor."

Carlisle was still staring down at him, but Edward and Esme were observing me closely. I didn't bother paying them any attention as I impatiently waited for Carlisle.

Finally, he nodded. "I will do my best, but I don't think he's going to make it."

"Try your best." I begged. "You must save him."

Without waiting for an answer, I pushed him into Carlisle's arms.

"Esme? My kit is upstairs. Could you please bring it down for me?"

Esme nodded once and was back in a flash, handing Carlisle his bag. I didn't bother paying any attention to what Carlisle was doing. My attention was once again captured by his face. I noticed Edward tilt his face slightly in my direction but I brushed it off.

"What's the verdict?" I asked anxiously.

Carlisle sighed. "His bones are broken, a couple of ribs and I'd say he has just a few minutes to live. He lost a lot of blood."

My face fell and I looked back at him. He wasn't going to live. The bear had done enough damage and his slowly beating heart was going to give up on him soon.

Even unconscious, he seemed to be smiling serenely. I could make out a hint of his dimples and a picture of him healthy and smiling joyfully appeared in my mind. I imagined him strong and healthy, his skin flawless, his features even more pronounced, his jovial and carefree grin smiling innocently at me.

My thoughts traveled my dark past—a dark prince who'd ripped me from my dreams of being a princess.

_This_ was my prince. _He _was my second chance. _He_ was my happily after ever. _He _was going to make me a princess. My life partner, my soul mate.

If Carlisle wasn't able to perform any _human_ remedies on him, then there was only thing he could do.

The two words escaped through my numb lips as barely a whisper but everybody heard it.

"Change him."

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**Author's Note: **Out of all the Cullens, I think Rosalie is the worst (that's just my opinion!). Her bitter and vain nature has me against her and I never liked the fact that in _Breaking Dawn_, she doesn't mind Bella dying, as long as she gets the baby. Even though, Bella was the one the one who requested her assistance with the pregnancy, I hoped that at least, Rosalie would focus more on protecting _her_ than on Renesmee. I just thought that after owing Bella for saving Edward's life in _New Moon_ (which was Rosalie's fault), she'd at least care a bit about her sister–in–law's health.

I guess I can't really blame her though, because she was only doing what Bella asked her to do—which was guarding the baby at all costs, whether her own life may end or not.

I suppose I'm a little over the hostility I had over her, though I'm not completely sure.

I sincerely hope I didn't offend anyone—which this chapter _and_ my lecture—especially any Rosalie Fans out there. This was merely my take on her character, so please tell me how you think I did on this chapter!


	3. Breaking Dawn: Gesture — Mike

**Disclaimer: **Owning copies of the books does _not_ give me full rights to the series. Twilight belongs to Stephanie Meyer.

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**Author's Note: **Sorry for the huge delay; I was having exams. Thankfully, they're over, so I'm back to normal now and my brain no longer has to go into overdrive.

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This scene takes place in _Breaking Dawn_, during the chapter **Gesture**.

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**Mike's Point Of View**

I would rather be anywhere else in the world other than here, holding hands with my girlfriend and watching the love of _my _life dance with the love of _her_ life at her wedding.

What crime did I commit to receive _this_ punishment? Wasn't it bad enough that I had to watch Bella and Cullen date throughout their high school years—stroll throughout the corridors holding hands . . . snuggle in the back of the classrooms . . . suck each other's faces in the hallways . . . ? Now I had to attend their _wedding_? They really had to rub it in my face, didn't they?

They were too young to get married, anyway. Who settles down at _eighteen_? I mean, they're not even in college. I couldn't believe Bella's father was okay with this. Considering the fact that _he_ got married right out of high school, I thought _he_ would at least see that marrying his daughter off to this pale, rich and freakishly good–looking _freak_ was not something to be taken lightly.

I glanced over at Chief Swan to see him frozen at his table, staring at the newlywed couple twirling around on the floor. He didn't smile and his hands were crossed over his chest defiantly, but there was a twinkle in his eyes, as if he were fighting tears. He almost looked proud. _Almost_.

Beside him, was a couple who were sitting very close to each other. The woman, looked exactly like Bella—the same hair and the same skin color—and was beside herself in tears of happiness. This had to be Bella's mother. The man holding her close to his side looked nothing like Bella and just wore a small smile so I assumed he had to be her stepfather.

I glanced back at the wedding couple who had never removed their gazes from each other, lost in their own happy and dandy world. It was kind of strange to see Bella on a dance floor; the girl I knew couldn't keep herself straight up for even a minute. She was as clumsy as Cullen was graceful.

But now, Bella didn't seem clumsy at all. In the circle of Cullen's arms, she held herself high and confident with that brilliant smile of hers. I supposed it was only right that she was smiling; it _was _her day, anyway. She deserved to be happy.

I just wished that she could have at least tried being happy with _me_.

It wasn't fair that she had never even gave me a chance. I'd tried countless times to bring our relationship to the next step but she never had seemed to acknowledge the fact that there could have been something _more_. Though she'd never gotten tired of saying "no" to me, I'd gotten tired of hearing it.

There were only so many rejections a man could take.

I still remembered clearly the day of her first day of school. She'd been the special prize, the center of attention, the spotlight. She'd definitely attracted many different types of stares . . . jealous, interested, lustful, envious . . .

But what unnerved me the most was Edward Cullen's curious interest in her.

In the many days and months of school, Edward and his family had been the "outcast". Girls were off limits to the Cullen boys and boys were off limits to the Cullen girls. For the other four siblings, I'd understood, as they had been already paired off, with _each other_ . . . as creepy as that was.

However, Edward Cullen had been the only single one. And he had distanced himself from everybody and politely rejected _every _single female who were brave enough to ask him out ("I'm sorry, Jessica, but I'm just not looking for a relationship right now. I hope you understand.").

The gossip of the Cullens had died down quickly and they'd just blended in the background. In fact, if they hadn't been so freakishly good–looking that just _got_ immediate attention, people would have forgotten that they existed.

For a very long time, they minded their businesses and we minded ours. Everything had been going smoothly until Bella arrived in Forks. Since then, _they_ began _mingling_ with her, and in extension, _us_. _Because_ of Bella.

It had pissed me off to no end that, all of a sudden, those weirdos were talking to her. Sure, she was pretty and fun to hang around with, but what was it about her that had brought even the Cullens out of their shells? Of course, it wasn't _all _the Cullens I'd had a problem with, just one in particular.

Edward Cullen had never even raised his eyes to look at any girl for longer than a second unless absolutely necessary. Until her.

Of course, when Bella had come to town, I hadn't even dreamed of considering Cullen as competition. Of all the girls I'd met, she was sweetest, kindest and most sincere. And though she hid it up with baggy jackets and jeans, I'd seen the delicate and feminine curves of her body.

Any guy would be stupid to not be attracted to her.

And unfortunately, Cullen hadn't fallen under that category and had went ahead and did exactly the opposite of what I'd wanted from him—strive for her attention.

At first, it used to be simple conversations in class. I'd asked Bella about him and her flippant reactions about him had pleased me. No matter how much Edward Cullen had been attracted to her, it had made me happy to know that she hadn't been returning the affections.

That little car accident had happened in school and the consequences had pleased me even more. It had seemed that whatever little friendship the two had shared had come to an end. The two of them had ignored each other studiously, focusing on their school work and anything but each other. The few steps that Cullen had taken out of his "Cullen" circle, to interact with people other than his family, seemed to have died away and it was as if Bella hadn't even come to school. Of course, I wasn't stupid enough to question it but I did wonder, obviously, why suddenly they had cut off all ties from each other.

He never looked at her, she never looked at him, she never talked about him, he'd gone back to his brooding self and I couldn't have been happier. Their friendship had been over.

Or so I had thought.

All plans for asking Bella to Prom had been ready at hand and of course, she'd said no. I hadn't really been disappointed because I knew that it was the _dance_ she was uninterested in, not me.

Cullen was suddenly back into her life . . .

Carrying her to the nurse . . . walking her to her different classes . . . driving her to school . . . staring at her during lunch . . . holding conversations during classes . . .

Of course, ever since they'd started dating, the hate I'd had for him had grown tenfold, because he had managed to capture her heart faster and better than I had. Their relationship had been the biggest news in town and Bella had started drifting away from us and into _their _circle.

Over the course of the summer, they'd been together and blissfully happy while I'd remained in the background sulking and worrying about my off–and–on relationship with Jessica. Then senior year had started and they'd _still_ been together, until _that_ day.

I always pondered over the reason why Bella could simply take him back into her life as if his break–up with her had never happened. I also wondered _why_ Cullen had broken up with her just because their family had to move. _Ever heard of long distance relationships, Cullen?_

Seeing Bella go completely loopy those few months had been the scarier than the scariest horror movie I'd ever seen. In fact, just looking at Bella made people wonder whether she Bella herself had stepped out of a horror film. At my parent's store, whenever she used to come for work, she'd just drift along the shelves and welcome customers with the dullest tone I'd ever heard. She would be there but not really _there_ either. In school, it was like she was the living dead.

I just couldn't imagine why she had simply accepted him back in her life after practically living her life as a zombie.

I had seen some improvements, though. A few months later, I'd found out that Bella had been seeing some friend of hers, Jacob Black, down at La Push. She always insisted that they were just friends but on that movie night, I knew I'd seem something more than friendship linger in Jacob's eyes whenever he looked at her.

Ever since Edward's return, the two had been inseparable. Of course, they always had been, but Edward had even changed his schedule to match hers—that had been crossing the limit. They sat even closer to each other. Their relationship was far more intense than before and definitely stronger than any relationship I'd ever seen.

Cullen had been more protective than possessive of her. It wasn't as if he didn't allow her to mingle with other people, but he seemed to always be alert of her, especially her safety. The way he used to watch her . . . it used to be so . . . _weird_. He'd always have a hand wrapped securely around her waist, as if to prevent her from tripping or otherwise physically hurting herself. However, at times, when I used to watch them closely, it was as if Edward was using the lightest of touches. The way he used to handle her or touch her, it used to be so hesitant and careful, as if she were made of glass. As if he were calculating his every move so as to not break her.

It used to make me sick the way he used to always keep hovering around her and staring at her as if he couldn't live without her.

By then, I'd just begun to accept their relationship. I knew that my times of wooing her was ending and nothing I could do would charm her. I settled my relationship with Jessica. She wasn't Bella but she was the best I could get.

The news of Bella and Edward's engagement had come as quite of a shock. I'd always assumed that they would finally end up getting married, but I didn't assume it would be this soon.

The whole town had come to this conclusion: he'd knocked her up.

There was no other reason to be married at such a young age. Even if they were going to college together, why on earth did they have to be married for that? They could attend college as boyfriend and girlfriend, right? No big deal . . .

The thought of Cullen and Bella engaging in _intimate_ activities made my stomach churn uncomfortably. Throughout the course of their relationship, I'd asked myself so many questions . . . were they having _it_? If they were, how many times? Were they still virgins? Do they use protection?

I jumped slightly when Jessica squeezed my hand. I'd been so lost in my thoughts that I'd forgotten about my surroundings.

"Mike? Are you okay?" Jessica peered me, frowning slightly.

I smiled reassuringly. "I'm fine."

I glanced around the room to find that most of the couples had made their way to the dance floor. Bella was now stumbling awkwardly with her father while her _husband—_shudder—twirled Mrs. Cullen around the dance floor.

I knew that as her boyfriend, Jessica expected me to ask her to dance. She always wanted me to make the first move.

"Wanna dance?"

Jessica's expression brightened considerably and to be honest, I did have a little fun with her. She looked amazing tonight in her tight, lavender dress which ended at her knees but Bella was somewhere on my back of mind. She always was.

After a couple of songs changed, I plucked up the courage to ask Bella for a dance and she didn't seem to mind dancing with me. With one hand on her waist and other twined with hers, we glided across the floor.

She made small talk while I, too stunned to speak anything but mush, bobbed my head along stupidly. In my defense, she was looking gorgeous in her wedding dress and the makeup she was wearing just enhanced her beauty. Holding her in my arms was just a plus and for a second, I imagined myself to be in Cullen's shoes, getting married to the love of my life. I was still in a daze and ogling her in her dress when Cullen cut in, shooting me a menacing glare as he spun her away from me.

I sighed as I walked away from them. No matter how much I hated Cullen right now and wanted Bella for myself, I was glad that she was happy.

If only she'd given me a chance.

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**Author's Note: **So, how did I do Mike's character? There wasn't much of dialogue in this but I hope the next chapter will. Honestly, it was a little fun to delve into his mind. I didn't want him to sound too arrogant but not a complete softy, either. Please tell me what you think!


	4. Twilight: Interrogations — Jessica

**Disclaimer: **Owning copies of the books does _not_ give me full rights to the series. Twilight belongs to Stephanie Meyer.

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**Author's Note: **Thank you for reading and reviewing. I hope you enjoy this chapter as well.

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This scene takes place in _Twilight_, during the chapter **Interrogations**.

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**Jessica's Point Of View**

I just couldn't believe it.

As a matter of fact, the whole school couldn't believe it.

Edward and Bella.

Bella and Edward.

Bella and _Edward_, of all people. I supposed if it was Bella and _Eric_ or _Tyler_ or _Mike_, then it wouldn't have created quite large of a stir. But Edward was _the _special one of our school, the single one, the hottest one, the challenge.

And here, all of a sudden, Bella just breezes through our school and he drifts along with her, like a broken leaf, as if it were nothing.

It really was very unfair, life.

I, along with most of the female population in the school (the normal ones, at least), had been admiring, pining after, attracted to, flirting with and asking out (in vain, mind you) _the_ Edward Cullen, who became a complete mystery to everybody but his family because he turned down _every_ single offer to date.

I mean, someone as hot as he was _had_ to have at least been attracted to _one_ girl. Perhaps he was shy, though he certainly didn't appear that way. He _was_ reclusive, that was obvious but someone had to have been able to capture his attention.

I just could not believe it had to be Bella Swan.

That girl was the plainest person I had _ever_ seen. Her jeans were faded, her tennis shoes were worn, she wore simple T–shirts, covered up by sweaters; she wasn't very tall, she was quite skinny, she had absolutely _no_ figure, she never wore any makeup, she didn't wear accessories, like ever, she wasn't a straight A student (oh, who need brains these days anyway?) . . .

I _just_ couldn't see what it was about her that made Edward Cullen snap out of his little, personal bubble. Seeing him interact with her was just rubbing it in my face, along with other girls'.

The entire school — boys and girls, maybe even teachers — was buzzing with rumors.

Of course, I knew that because I started them. Being Bella's best friend gave some slight advantages, but it was extremely frustrating as well, because she was the quietest person I knew. She never really gave straight answers and whenever she did, it was always lacking in detail.

For the first time ever, I was in school early. First of all, I needed to spread fresh gossip about what had happened last night. After Edward Cullen mysteriously appeared in Port Angeles, crashing our girl's night out, I just _knew_ something was up. Bella had just said that he _conveniently _showed up . . . Pfft, like I was going to believe that.

Now, I didn't really get much out of their date last night as Bella's father had been home but she had promised to tell me during Trig class. If she came early as well, then I could squeeze the information out of her just as quickly.

However, I didn't catch sight of Bella's Chevy truck in the parking lot so I grabbed Bella's jacket and left to find to my friends. I knew there was no point discussing anything about Edward and Bella with Lauren. Lauren completely despised Bella because she was under the impression that Bella was after Tyler's affections, although it was the other way around. I didn't really see what was so interesting in Tyler, either. Mike was better. Edward was _even_ better.

I was dying to see Edward and Bella. I _had_ to find out what stage their relationship was at. Clearly, there was something more than friendship hidden in there. And I would be damned if Bella wasn't going to tell me anything. After all, I was the best at spreading gossip. People depended on me for news. And this Edward–Bella relationship was the biggest news flash Forks had ever seen.

I paced back and forth at the entrance of the school, muttering my greetings to my friends as they passed me. My eyes were constantly drawn to the parking lot, scanning between the cars to make sure I hadn't accidentally missed Bella's or Edward's.

I formulated a plan in my mind for today. First, of course, I would constantly monitor Edward's reactions to Bella. I would see how Bella reacted to Edward as well. I needed to know how they felt about each other. Obviously, I wouldn't be able to ask Edward but I had definitely succeed in finding out Bella's feelings for him. It wouldn't be too hard, of course. I was excellent at reading people and their emotions and it was amazing how I could extract things about people.

My eyes narrowed in concentration when I noticed Rosalie's familiar convertible pulling in through the lot. Of course, supermodels stepped out. Even though the Cullens were old news, having attended this school for quite some time, people could not help but just have their eyes drawn to them.

I frowned, wondering why Edward wasn't with his siblings. I stared after the four Cullen siblings as they entered the school, walking ever so gracefully.

Edward wasn't coming to school?

Of course, that complicated things but just a bit. It wasn't as if I were going to question him in the first place but I supposed his absence would send Bella into a depressed mood. Would she be alert enough to answer my questions?

Or were they _both_ skipping today?

I stood fuming over the idea of the two of them ditching school to get cozy just as Edward's familiar Volvo came speeding into the parking lot.

My eyes bulged out when Bella stepped out from the passenger's seat. He _drove_ her to school? In _his_ car? With her sitting in the _passenger seat_ of _his_ car?

Goodness, what was the world coming to? Any girl would be lucky to sit in _Edward's_ car. Forget inside his car, I would be more than delighted, honored even, to squeeze myself even in the trunk of his car . . . as long as he was in it with me.

They began approaching us, close together but not touching, and I kept my eyes fixated on them, trying to decipher their expressions. Edward seemed a little amused and his eyes constantly drifted to Bella. Bella, on the other hand, to be honest looked completely out of place by his side. She looked extremely awkward and even a little uncomfortable. Did she not _like_ that Edward had picked her up? Had they planned this little trip together? Did Bella insist on them driving to school together?

Her eyes landed on me when we were just a few inches away from each other.

"Hey, Jessica." She smiled, glancing down at her sweater draped over my arm. "Thanks for remembering."

My tongue was plastered to the roof of my mouth, making it impossible to say anything legible as I held it out her sweater to her. It was only when she took her jacket from my hands did I glance down at her to realize the jacket that she was currently wearing _Edward freaking Cullen's freaking _jacket. So, apparently Edward found someone worthy enough to lend his sweater to.

Lucky bitch.

"Good morning, Jessica."

_Whoa_. The most beautiful voice was speaking to _me_. Of course, he had spoken to me many times, to reject me politely whenever I had asked him out, but this was so much better. I could _hear _the caress in his voice when he said my name.

Screw Bella. Edward and I were meant for each other.

Naturally, I was cool and collected around Edward. My response was brilliant. "Er . . . hi."

I glanced nervously back at Bella, wondering whether I should say more. Obviously, she had more experience with speaking to him, though, how I could never understand. It wasn't too difficult to melt in the presence of any of the Cullens.

Making sure that she remembered she had some explaining to do, I added, "I guess I'll see you in Trig" making the words as significant as possible.

"Yeah, I'll see you then."

I chewed the inside of my lip as I considered Bella's clearly dismissive statement. Should I insist on walking with them together to class? I knew that questioning Bella would be impossible with Edward around. They were obviously dating, even if they didn't show it to others. Being a couple meant holding hands and . . . _kissing_. So, were they dating in secret? How did Edward feel about Bella? Bella definitely was in love, wasn't she?

I definitely did not want to spread false gossip. I needed to hear the words from Bella herself that she was in love with Edward.

I walked away from them, checking over my shoulder to make sure they hadn't disappeared or anything. I rolled my eyes when I caught them conversing quietly with another, appearing as if nobody but them existed.

My first classes passed by in a blur and I was completely inattentive between lectures. Different conversations kept playing in my mind as I tried to imagine Bella's answers to my endless stream of questions. There were so many things I wanted to ask her.

As soon as the bell rang, I dashed off to Trig, selected a seat in the very back and stared impatiently at the door as my feet tapped against the floor repeatedly. My gaze never wavered and finally, Bella entered, looking quite reluctant.

"Tell me everything!" I demanded eagerly, watching her with hungry eyes. I could not, for the life of me, understand why she was looking so forlorn. If it had been me in her shoes, I would be shouting at the top of my lungs, hoping for the whole world to know.

"What do you want to know?" She asked innocently, removing her jacket and draping it over her chair.

I rolled my eyes. Did she really have to ask that? "What happened last night?"

She shrugged, looking far too flippant than she should be. I couldn't understand why she seemed so glum. "He bought me dinner, and then he drove me home."

That was the most _boring_ recitation of a dinner date I had _ever_ heard in my life.

I narrowed my eyes at her. That couldn't be everything. There was obviously way more to their evening than she was letting on and I was _going_ to pull it out of her sooner or later. "How did you get home so fast?"

"He drives like a maniac." Her expression turned genuine for the first time and I could her the honesty in her tone. "It was terrifying."

"Was it like a date—did you tell him to meet you there?"

They had to have planned it up. Bella must have just been using our shopping day as an excuse to get him to follow us to Port Angeles as well. Then, she must have innocently insisted on going to find a _bookstore_ by _herself_ and Edward Cullen shows up.

Bella's face expressed surprise. "No—I was _very_ surprised to see him there."

I scrutinized her for a moment, sighing when I realized that she wasn't lying.

"But he picked you up for school today?" I pressed on eagerly, not about to let this conversation come to end. No matter how disappointed I was, this was serious news.

"Yes — that was a surprise, too. He noticed I didn't have a jacket last night."

"So are you going out again?" I demanded, my eyes never leaving her.

"He offered to drive me to Seattle Saturday because he thinks my truck isn't up to it — does that count?"

I grinned wildly. "Yes."

"Well, then, yes."

I still couldn't wrap my head around it.

"W–o–w. Edward Cullen."

"I know." She replied, sounding more awed than before; like she should be.

She began twisting her body back to face the front of the class, as if to start paying attention to whatever the heck Mr. Varner was teaching, but I wasn't going to let that happen. Our conversation wasn't over; I still had a very pressing question to ask.

"Wait!" I exclaimed, not bothering to work to keep my voice low. "Has he kissed you?"

"No," She muttered; her expression fallen. "It's not like that."

I didn't really get what she meant by that. They went on a date last night; clearly they were both attracted to each other. Then what did she mean by "It's not like that"? Was there really no relationship between them, even though Bella clearly wanted one?

"Do you think Saturday . . . ?"

I didn't even need to finish my question before she was shaking her head. "I really doubt it."

I pondered over this information. There was only one conclusion I could come up with: so, obviously, Bella was in love with Edward — who wasn't, anyway? — and because he didn't have any feelings for her, they didn't have a romantic relationship, which saddened her. Then again, that was the case with every single girl (who had gotten a glimpse of Edward Cullen), myself included.

I should have known that there wasn't anything really special about her.

But then, she _did_ have dinner with him last night, something which every girl hoped for: a dinner date with Edward Cullen. They must have talked about _some_thing. "What did you talk about?"

"I don't know, Jess, lots of stuff. We talked about the English essay a little."

I rolled my eyes; as if I would be satisfied with that. "Please, Bella. Give me some details."

She paused for a moment, thinking over before a tiny smile flitted across her face. "Well . . . okay, I've got one. You should have seen the waitress flirting with him — it was over the top. But he didn't pay any attention to her at all."

This was completely contradicting now. Clearly, Bella must have been jealous, if she was bringing the topic up now, but according to her news, she didn't have a reason to be. And it seemed that Edward _did_ have feelings for her, if he didn't bother to spare a glance at the waitress. Then, if Edward _didn't_ look at the waitress, then it would obviously mean that he was attracted to Bella. But why would she look so unhappy about it? Their supposed "relationship" was very confusing but I would break it down somehow.

"That's a good sign. Was she pretty?"

"Very — and probably nineteen or twenty."

"Even better. He must like you." Even as I said the words, my tone hardened and I was burning up inside with all the envy for this girl.

"I _think_ so, but it's hard to tell. He's always so cryptic."

I couldn't argue there. If there was anyone on this planet who could be deemed as "mysterious", it was Edward Cullen.

"I don't know how you're brave enough to be alone with him." The words slipped out before I could stop them, but I was curious to know her answer. It was as if he didn't affect her at all.

"Why?"

"He's so . . . intimidating." More like incredibly sexy . . . "I wouldn't know what to say to him."

I had tried, of course, to speak to him, mainly to ask him out, but all I can remember is speaking some unintelligible words, making absolutely no sense to the either of us. That was what happened when you were staring into his hypnotizing eyes, unable to look away until he did first.

"I do have some trouble with incoherency when I'm around him." She agreed, flushing quite a bit; probably remembering some of her embarrassing experiences with her speaking gibberish around him.

"Oh well." I shrugged flippantly; the fact that he was handsome and intimidating just made him perfect automatically. "He _is_ unbelievably gorgeous."

"There's a lot more to him than that."

I raised an eyebrow while a slow smile began spreading across my face, hearing the defensive tone in her voice, though she tried to hide it. "Really? Like what?"

"I can't explain it right . . . but he's even more unbelievable _behind_ the face."

I waited impatiently for her to continue. Finally, she seemed to opening up more.

"Is that _possible_?" I chuckled to myself when she didn't reply.

Bella faced the front, trying to act interested in the class. But I wasn't going to let her off that easily. She still had some confessing to do. I had to hear straight from her mouth what her feelings for Edward Cullen were.

"So you like him, then?"

"Yes."

She was completely missing the point.

I tried not to sigh, as if exasperated with a three year old, but seriously, she could gain a little enthusiasm for the benefit of this conversation, couldn't she? Why was I doing all the work? "I mean, do you _really _like him?

"Yes."

Was it really that hard to come out and say a single sentence? She sounded so bored with this revelation, as if admitting to practically being in love with Edward Cullen was a normal occurrence? If it were me, I would be screaming from the rooftops of the tallest building in the world (whatever that was); unlike her, sounding so out of life.

"How _much_ do you like him?"

It was silent for a moment and Bella's cheeks reddened slightly as she carefully contemplated her response, which was barely above a whisper. "Too much. More than he likes me. But I don't see how I can help that."

I could feel the confusion on my face and was equally confused, if not more, inside. I felt like I was missing a really big and important part in their relationship. There was this huge secret that I was missing — something that made not only Edward Cullen mysterious, but the connection between them mystifying as well.

* * *

**Author's Note: **So how you think I did Jessica's perspective? Once again, keep an eagle eye out for any errors in the chapters and do mention it to me.

For your information (just a random fact), **Burj Khalifa** in Dubai, United Arab Emirates is the world's tallest building, built during the years 2004 to 2010 and is approximately 2717 feet high, with exactly 163 floors. When I'd made a reference to that in this chapter, just a few lines above, I thought it would be nice tidbit to add here.

Anyway, kindly tell me what your thoughts are. I'd love to hear them, criticism or not!


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